[centre][colour=darkgray][h1]The Troll Wars[/h1] [h2]Part 3 - The Hunt[/h2][/colour] [/centre] [hr] A nervous energy had overtaken the tribe as they returned from their errands. Some hauled back the bodies of game, like one group that struggled with the bulk of a plucked Quillat, or baskets of fruits and nuts, but all carried a handful of heavy stones or a number of long saplings cleaned of their branches. All knew what their Chieftess had decreed. The only question was the details, and it was these they waited for. The men and women of the Walled Haven did what work they could as they awaited the last of their people, and a promised explanation of what precisely had happened and what would be done. Many eyed the newcomers who had precipitated their Chieftess declaration of dominion over the tribes between the Haven and the World's Anchor. They all knew there was a monster, but the world was a dangerous place. Some, privately, questioned whether this was an attempt to expand the tribe by force. It had happened elsewhere in the past. Still, they did what work they could as they waited. Their lives would be changed by whatever happened next, and not one of them wasn’t anxious to learn how. The sun had just begun to set when the last hunter returned. A great fire was lit near the center of the wall and the days labours were hastily finished. Nearly three dozen men, women, and children gathered around the roaring blaze and cast their gaze upon the one who had brought them here, the god-named Chieftess, Ataket. She sat uneasily on one of the rounded river rocks that had been dragged into the haven. There was a moment's hesitation, but her eyes met all of her people, before settling on a newcomer. “I have been brought terrible news,” She began, “Our newest kin have told me that a monster prowls the south, some weeks journey away. A monster whose very steps shake the earth, and who devoured their entire tribe before their eyes. A monster they call Thunder. Those who were here know that I have refused to leave the countless tribes ignorant of this monster to become its prey.” “I believe that if we leave them to their fate we do nothing but weaken ourselves. This Thunder eats, and so it’s like any other creature. I will not allow it to grow fat and strong before it reaches our walls. More than that, I refuse to let children, our very first children, perish.” There was a murmuring at that, but by and large it was one of agreement. Many had newborns by now. The thought of allowing some monster to devour the first progeny of Humanity was beyond unthinkable. Before any could question her though, Ataket forged on, “Vintr, one of the survivors who brought word of Thunder, has revealed something else to me though. Thunder is not alone. Smaller creatures, perhaps the cursed spawn of Thunder, prowl the grove not more than a half days walk from here.” At that many regarded the saplings and rocks, and they understood. Some began to craft spears right there, drying them before the fire. Ataket nodded, and added, “We all know what must be done. Tomorrow I ask all who are able to hunt join me. Before that, though, I ask Vintr, who has lost much to these beasts, to tell us of them in detail.” The Chieftess met Vintr’s eyes from across the fire, and the tribe followed. The young man hunkered down somewhat at the attention, only truly manning up when he realised they weren’t going to look away. The straightened himself back up and walked closer to the fire. He wheezed, cleared his throat and spoke, “These creatures, people, may look similar to people - but they are as far from us as can get. What our village was attacked by - what we encountered in the woods - these are terrors of creation sent upon us by, by the cruelest of gods!” He struggled to control his breath and from the shadows behind him, a palm extended forth and wrapped itself around Vintr’s shoulder. It was Kefir, who gave Vintr a reassuring nod. “What he’s trying to say is that those seeking to kill these monsters must steele themselves for whatever may come,” Kefir warned. “We will thankfully not encounter Thunder again, I believe. He returned to the mountains last we saw him; however, the… ‘Ranglefant’, as my daughter Kaia heard it call itself, lives in the woods to the south. We saw what the sun did to it - it turned a man-eating monster’s palm into a pool of blood. We think, we think that it can be killed if exposed to the sun.” “The sun?” One young woman asked, “How can it be a threat then? The sun touches everything.” An older hunter scoffed, “There’s more below ground than above Eshe. I’ve seen caves that don’t seem to end, myself. I would bet my balls that the damn monsters are climbing out of those godsforsaken holes each night to attack people.” Ataket eyed the man, who was around her age, “Is there such a cave in the groves around us, Berut?” “Eh,” He shrugged, “I couldn’t say, Chieftess. I’ve found dozens, but I hunt farther afield than most. The Quillat herds avoid the wooded areas. No point prowling over the groves if I’m out for them.” “I see, “Ataket sighed, “Then we comb over the grove that our newcomers found the creature in. Anyone who comes across a cave entrance should gather others before they investigate. Like Kefir said, we have to be ready. It will be dangerous.” Temet, always the more contentious member of the tribe, spoek up, “Which is why you shouldn’t be joining us! We agreed on this. What if the creature kills you, chieftess? Who will greet the gods if they return?” “Another!” Ataket yelled, “Because I will not greet them as a coward, Temet. I have told you this already, and I will say it to every last one of you. The god Tekret granted us protection from this world, but they didn’t do so to see us cower behind their power like frightened children! The wall is tall, yes, but I will not allow its strength to replace our courage. I will hunt at first light, and I expect any who are capable to join me.” There was a roar of approval, this time even from Temet. Chastened twice in a day he might have been, but Temet had worse records than that. Besides, the Cheiftess wasn’t wrong. Danger or no, these monsters couldn’t be allowed to prey on Humans. They would die for the attempt. The tribe of Ataket would see it done. [hr] The next morning, a party had set out the gates towards the grove. Led by Vintr, the band was prowling the grove of the ranglefant, sweeping its area for any sightings or presences of enormous humanoids. The grove was overall a crown jewel of peace - sweet birdsong and insect chitter almost invoked a sensation of calm and tranquility about the whole forest, offset only by the increasing frequency at which the band’s members sighted heaps and piles of white, meatless bones belonging to all sorts of animals. Come to think of it, none of them had seen any beast or creature larger than a toad in here… The culprit could of course be a predator - a stray leon from the Prairie to the west who had decided to move to cooler lands; however, with the context of their search in mind… Vintr noticed an unnatural heap up ahead and motioned for everyone to hide. He crept over to Berut and pointed at the heap, which appearance seemed less and less like that of a heap the longer one tried to discern its nature. “That’s it,” he whispered. “See those thin vines? That’s its hair.” The old hunter nodded with a muffled grunt. He readied his spear and motioned for the rest to do the same. A few of the hunters motioned behind the group, suggesting they get the rest of the tribe before they try to assault the beast, but Berut only shook his head. “No,” he hissed, “The others will get in the damn way. Spread out, we box it in and kill the thing where it’s sleeping.” “Very well. I’ll go from the other side,” Vintr replied and started sneaking across as low as he could. The heap seemed to move somewhat with the new noises entering the soundscape, even letting out a slight, thunderous snore. There was no doubt about it - this was a living creature. Vintr crouched down behind a stone opposite of the troll from Berut and signalled his readiness. A few more hunters had followed him, too, it seemed. Berut stilled, though veiled by the undergrowth his spear, held by tough weathered hands, pointed right at the creature. There was no signal, nothing that would alert the beast. When everyone was ready Berut exploded from the thicket that concealed him, muscles straining to put the whole of his strength behind the spear. He raced at the Troll in an explosion of motion, and in the span of a second more hunters than not had followed him. The grove’s peace was broken as a ring of spears closed in on the foul creature. The rumbling snore came to a stop and the creature woke to life as a series of spears stabbed at his skin in a flurry of attacks. The troll screamed, “AAAAAAAAH!” and started wafting his colossal hands around, swatting away those too careless to keep their distance. One of the hunters ventured too far into the Ranglefant’s reach and caught a terrible blow to his chest. The loud thump was followed by a sickening crack, and the man wailed as he flew into a nearby tree with a sizable dent in his chest. His cries were a terrible thing, but the attackers did no more than flinch. Berut stabbed at the troll whenever it turned away from him in its panic, but found his spear inflicting little more than flesh wounds on the flailing beast. With a curse Berut yelled, “Aim for the eyes and push it out! Get the damn thing out of the forest!” The monster jumped backwards to get some distance between itself and its assailants. It reassumed its stance into one much more defensive, and shaped his mouth into a weary smirk. It was clear that the ambush had taken a large chunk of his stamina, and blood was pouring out all over. “You’s… You’s smart, you lil’ pests. Go at me while I’m sleepin’ - must f’hink yeself really clever roight about now. But guess whot, ye lumps. I’ve got anuvvah trick up my sleeve.” With that, it spun around and started sprinting away, the earth trembling with its every skip. Vintr gave chase, and the hunters followed him. Berut hesitated, and shouted after them as he followed, “Watch for pitfalls! If it can talk it can set up a damn trap, be careful!” Vintr paid the warning no mind. The troll's laughter echoed through the forest as he dove deeper and deeper into the foliage - it was almost unreal how quickly one could lose track of something so large. Vintr reached a temporary halt in the thick tree growth, but it was far from a clearing - the canopy above was as dense as the soil below. It was a miracle that any light broke through at all. Vintr had no time to consider it, though, before a crippling pain called out from both legs as the troll’s hand trapped him tightly and retreated away from the clear space. “Now we’re goin’ to be real quiet, alright,” he whispered menacingly and placed a thumb the size of Vintr’s head over his small mouth. Outside the foliage, the hunters came to a stop as they lost sight of their quarry. One realized Vintr wasn't with them, and called out for him. He waited, and when there was no reply a few of the others followed suit, only stopping when Berut caught up with them. The old hunter, panting, chastised the group, "Keep your mouths shut! Stop and listen. That thing was leaving a trail, and so was Vintr. If it ended here they're not far." The others stilled, and brought up their spears. They spread out, keeping each other in sight as they prowled through the underbrush. Berut knelt down and inspected the foliage, picking up branches and leaves every so often. He turned them around in his hands, smelled them, and even tasted a few. The old hunter picked up on something and started to wander. Absorbed in his task, the man didn't realize he'd lost sight of the others until he paused and looked up. It was only when he met the faint eyes of a terrified Vintr, peering out of the brush, that Berut realized his mistake. He saw the troll's thumb over the man's mouth and looked up. In the span of a breath Berut glanced up into the dark foliage, saw the glint of an inhuman eye, and lunged at it with his spear while he screamed, "Run boy! Run!" The troll giggled and hopped backwards, tipping over a few trees in the process. Vintr was still stuck in his hand, unable to break loose no matter now much he struggled. “Oh, now,” cautioned the troll, “don’ be runnin’ away from ol’ Ranglefant now - you ‘n me got a dinner togevva’ in a bit, don’ we? Rooooiiight afte’ these lil’ flies’ve been dealt with.” With a growl, the troll charged forward and sent a fist the size of a human body down towards Berut with meteoric velocity. Vintr tried to bite his way out of the opposite hand’s grip, but the skin was like stiff leather. The hunter pushed himself to the ground and rolled, the fist catching his fur tunic and bruising his side as it was ripped off his body. He exhaled sharply and scrambled to grab his spear from the ground. The older man's muscles rippled as he hurled the spear at the Troll's face and dove at it. From his side he pulled a long bone knife and tried to jab it into the Ranglefant's hand as both he, and the spear, flew at the troll. The stab was successful, and it distracted the troll for just long enough that the spear rammed into its cheek. It squealed and dropped Vintr, who fell to the ground with a grunt. The troll staggered back and, with a whimper, pulled the spear out. It had made a surprisingly large wound, and it was bleeding something fierce. The troll glared at Berut. “A’roight… Dinner can wait. One fly’s bein’ extra annoyin’...” With that, the troll charged at Berut with both hands ready to crush him. A lifetime spent hunting had made Berut strong, quick, and tough. Age had whittled away at all of that. The hunter tried to dodge the troll, and though he avoided its grasp a meaty hand still slammed into his naked chest. He wheezed and collapsed, barely managing to pull himself up before falling again and spitting up blood. He met Vintrs eyes and, lungs all but crushed, mouthed for the young man to flee. There had been a commotion, and the others would be near enough to find the newcomer before the Ranglefant did. Then, as the troll rounded on him, Berut grasped his knife and hurled himself at the monster again. The troll had once again been distracted for too long - and this time was his last. The knife dub itself deep in the troll’s belly, blood ushering forth like a red tide. It clutched its wound, but other hunters swarmed in from the back and dug their spears deep into the troll’s flanks. The ranglefant staggered, gritting its teeth so the air quaked. It tried to speak, but all that came out of its mouth was blood and gore. Finally, it fell backwards, tipping another tree in the process. It let out its final breath thereafter. The group gathered around the dead monster, and the body of what for many had been their mentor. Berut had felled the troll, but breathed his last before it had. Vintr was checked on, and a somber silence overtook the hunters. [hr] Eventually a pair of hunters group departed, and returned near an hour later with Ataket and her party. The Chieftess had been told, but she approached wordlessly to see for herself. The troll, a colossal mound of flesh and stink, and Berut, still clutching the knife that had ended the creature. She disregarded and monster and knelt beside the man. A minute passed, or an hour, and when she finally stood it was with wet eyes and a simple curse, "You should have waited, you brave old idiot." With that she made her way over to the shaken Vintr and put a hand on his shoulder as she spoke, "He died well. For you. For all of us." “My chieftess, I-... I’m so sorry. I couldn’t control myself, I--...” Vintr hung his head in disappointment at himself. "No," She shook her head, "He could have called for the rest of us. He could have brought a partner when he went after you. Berut made his own choices Vintr, you have nothing to apologize for." Her eyes burned and she addressed the gathered hunters, both those who'd fought and who'd only arrived with her, "None of us brought this creature here! It came to hunt us, to kill us, and I won't allow it. We've killed one, today, [I]and it won't be the last![/I] I won't stop, we won't stop, until there's not one left alive!" Vintr raised his head again and nodded firmly. “Yes, chieftess!” [hr] [i]A few days later in a nearby grove...[/i] “So, you heard Jonesey carked it the ovva’ day?” said Lars the Ranglefant, pouring himself a cupful of swampy water. Marseley the Ranglefant dropped her bowl of porridge. “You whot, mate? Jonesey’s dead?! Whot happened?!” Lars shrugged and took a long swig. “‘Pparently got in some big trouble with the local ‘umans. ‘E ‘ad a real bad run-in wiff some--...” Lars was interrupted by the smash of a stone bowl against a nearby tree, felling it over instantly. Marseley screamed. “Bloody ‘umies! They killed Jonesey!” “Aye, ‘s whot I said,” Lars added with a frown. Marseley tightened her fists and tore the bark off a nearby tree. “This ain’t roight. One of us - gone? No, Lars, mate… This ain’t right… … This is war.” [hr] [hider=Summary] Ataket and Vintr brief the tribe on the troll threat, and after some debate it is decided that they should go after the troll hiding in the nearby grove. The next morning the eldest and wisest hunter in the tribe, a gruff man named Berut, accompanies Vintr and a band of hunters into the woods. Ataket leads a separate party. Berut and Vintr encounter the Ranglefant asleep, and rather than call for Ataket’s aid Berut decides he’s better off with his band of more experienced hunters. They attack. The troll fights back, and manages to kill one of the hunters before fleeing. Vintr, possessed by rage and vengeance, runs after the troll despite Berut’s warning that it might be leading them into a trap. The hunters follow, but lose Vintr, who is captured by the troll. Beruts band splits up and looks for the troll, keeping each other in sight. Berut finds the hints of a trail and follows it, accidentally losing the others. He finds the troll, and Vintr, and engages in a personal battle to free Vintr and kill the troll. The struggle is brutal, and Berut only barely manages to free Vintr before he is fatally wounded. Using the last of his strength the old man lunges at troll and cuts open its belly, killing the beast but never living to see his accomplishment. Ataket arrives later, and assures Vintr he isn’t to blame. She weeps for her old pal, and declares her intent to kill every living troll. Mankind is at war. So too, are the trolls. News of the Ranglefant’s death spreads, and the seeds of an eternal conflict between Humanity and Troll-kind are sown. [/hider] [hider=Might Summary] AB-SOL-UTE-LY NONE WE ARE BROKE HERE FOLKS [/hider]